Crusade continues for police increase

Geoff has been working for the QT since August 2011 covering Ipswich’s rural areas. He started working for APN in January 2010 with the Chinchilla News in western Queensland after growing up on a grain farm. Geoff spends his time out of work watching far too much sport following the Reds, the Broncos and various American teams.

AN ENTIRE new building would be required for Lowood to be home to 24-hour policing, MP Sean Choat says.

The member for Ipswich West said the existing facilities in Lowood were inadequate for a proposed 24-hour police station.

During the state election Mr Choat campaigned for increased policing in the electorate, but his goal of a 24-hour station in Lowood was no closer to reality.

"I've spoken to the police minister multiple times about the prospect of increasing policing in Lowood," he said.

"There would need to be an increase in staff numbers for the station to operate for 24 hours a day.

"The current station in Lowood is not designed for that, therefore the entire station would have to be revamped."

Mr Choat said while Lowood itself required an increase in policing, increasing the size and lengthening the opening hours of the station would allow for the Somerset region as a whole to be better covered.

"Lowood definitely needs more police. It presents itself as a base for the wider area.

"From a Lowood station police would be able to service the entire region.

"An officer from Lowood often gets called as far away as Kilcoy and then the area has to rely on police from Ipswich."

Security in Lowood has been a concern for residents and the Somerset Council recently announced it would install further security cameras in the town's central business district, to increase security.

Mr Choat said he remained confident issues of security in Lowood would be addressed.

"I'm looking to boost police numbers locally," he said.

"But in the meantime, additions like these security cameras are great."